


Battle Metal

by Dreamshaper



Category: Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (2020)
Genre: And angst, Drummer Helena, F/F, I love music and metal so I had to, Singer Dinah, Sorry Not Sorry, and a bit of smut, band au, no crime, no powers, this will have fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-20
Updated: 2020-07-05
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:20:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 19,906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24822991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dreamshaper/pseuds/Dreamshaper
Summary: Dinah's agreed to help her friend Harley and her band out when their singer unexpectedly quits, and steps in for the Battle of the Bands. Turns out that the drummer of one of the competing bands is much more interesting than the contest itself though.
Relationships: Helena Bertinelli/Dinah Lance
Comments: 139
Kudos: 123





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Lehane](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lehane/gifts).



> I am very into this pairing, as my growing word count shows, lol. I'm also very into metal, so I had to combine those amazing things. XD I had fun writing this and hope you will have fun reading it! :D Special thanks to Lehane for being my sounding board for this and helping with a few not unimportant plot points :D

“I’m starting to doubt that this has been a good idea”, Dinah says as she glances around, a bit nervous; Harley lets out a dramatic gasp and clutches her heart, making the singer roll her eyes at her antics, a smile tugging at her lips anyway when Harley grabs her arm.

“Dinah”, she says, looking at her so seriously it’s almost funny again, “please. Tell me you did not change your mind.”

“I did not”, Dinah tells her, earning a relieved sigh, “but that is… not my scene, usually. Let’s hope this isn’t a mistake.”

“Please”, Harley scoffs, shaking her head, “we’ve practiced so much, you’re awesome. Even if it’s normally not your style. Come on, let’s go backstage! Take a look at what we’re going up against.”

Dinah nods again, glancing at her shirt to make sure the badge which identifies her as a contestant is still there; Harley leads the way, Dinah trailing along behind her, feeling somewhat out of place among the people dressed all in black, but at least nobody is giving her weird looks, and the security guy guarding the door leading backstage just nods at her as well after a brief glance at her badge, she’s halfway expected him to ask her if she’s sure she’s in the right place.

“Renee and Ellen should already be here”, Harley ponders out loud as she glances around, “they’d said they’d meet us here. You want a drink before we go looking for them?”

“Just water”, Dinah says, one of her first lessons has been to not drink alcohol before a gig and she’s been sticking to it; Harley nods and once more leads the way, to the buffet which has been put up for the participants, Dinah finding herself quite glad that cooled water bottles are among the drinks on offer.

She helps herself to one of them, then turns and scans the room; there’s a bunch of people already here, talking excitedly, going through songs and setlists, most of them looking a bit nervous, one of them so pale that Dinah fears for his well-being.

It’s mostly men, she notices, but that doesn’t surprise her, she knows this genre is somewhat male-dominated, even though this has been getting better the past few years; there’s a few other women at least, one of them catching her eye as she lets her gaze wander.

She’s one of the few who doesn’t have a nervous look on her face, but she is toying with a water bottle of her own, and her leg is bouncing restlessly as she sits on the couch next to a bald guy her age; Dinah lets her gaze linger, taking in her lean form, she can tell the woman is in great shape, and she likes the intricately designed tattoos which cover her arms from her wrists up to her shoulders, possibly continuing beneath the sleeveless shirt she’s wearing, complicated black and deep red lines which twist and swirl up her arms.

“Caught ya staring”, Harley says from next to her, making her flinch a bit, before she looks at her, fairly certain the woman herself hasn’t noticed.

“You know her?” Dinah asks before she can stop herself, she’s too intrigued to hold back; Harley snickers and nods, helping herself to a handful of peanuts before she replies. 

“Not personally, but I do know who she is”, Harley reveals, Dinah raising an eyebrow so she’ll continue, “Helena Bertinelli. Calls herself Huntress, fucking fabulous if you ask me. Drums for the Assassins.”

“Drums”, Dinah says, a bit surprised, “there’s not many female drummers, right? Well, that explains how she looks so fit. Look at those biceps.”

“I’ve never heard them live before”, Harley says, studying the woman in question and the three guys who make up the band with her, “but I heard she’s a monster at the drums, they’re up before us, I can’t wait to see if she’s really that good.”

Dinah lets out a vaguely agreeing noise, secretly glad that Harley wants to watch that band, so it won’t be suspicious if she’ll go to do so, as well; her gaze moves to Helena again, she’s always had a thing for tall, well-built women and she can tell Helena is tall even as she’s sitting down, but before she can take another good look, Harley squeals next to her, loud enough to make her ears ring.

“Renee!” Harley then hollers, waving excitedly, “over here!”

“The whole damn venue knows you’re over here now”, Renee grumps as she joins them, with Ellen in tow; Harley just grins and shrugs, then gives them both a hug, clapping her hands in excitement afterwards.

“Here we all are”, she then states the obvious, but her enthusiasm is too endearing to let Dinah be annoyed by it, the singer finding herself smiling, “and ready to kick ass. Did you guys see, we’re up right after the Assassins.”

“Oh tough act to follow”, Ellen comments, making Renee nod, “I’ve seen them once, they’re quite good. But so are we!”

“Fuck yeah”, Harley agrees at once, “we’ll kick ass. Group huddle!”

She pulls them all into an embrace before they can actually agree or disagree to it; Renee grumbles, but doesn’t try to avoid it, and Dinah finds herself smiling again, she’s been sceptical when Harley has asked her to join her band after the previous singer had left, but now she’s happy she’s agreed to it, even if they won’t make it far in this Battle of the Bands, it’s a good experience to have, she figures, and it can’t hurt to broaden her musical horizons, singing in a genre she normally wouldn’t find herself in.

“Oh, first band is about to start”, Ellen realizes as the announcer starts talking on stage, welcoming everyone to the contest; there’s cheers in response to his words, then the first band walks on stage, and they get cheered though before they even start playing the first of the three songs each band gets.

“Friendly crowd”, Dinah remarks, earning a toothy grin and a nod from Harley; she takes a moment to smile back at her, then takes a sip of her water before her eyes move to Helena Bertinelli again, the woman by now having moved on to toying with her drumsticks instead of a bottle, the way she twirls them around prompting Dinah to raise an eyebrow.

And this time, it seems as if her gaze has been felt, as Helena looks over her after a moment; and a second later, she drops her sticks as their eyes meet, and Dinah can’t hold back a slight grin as she sees the other woman blush while she quickly looks away again and hurries to pick the drumsticks up again, her bandmates laughing at her clumsiness, appearing unimpressed by how she glares at them in response.

Dinah can’t wait to see her play now, more enamoured than she wants to admit to herself.


	2. Chapter 2

When it’s time for the Assassins to get onto the stage, Harley and Dinah excuse themselves to watch them, Renee rolling her eyes and telling Ellen that they both just want to ogle the hot drummer; Harley cackles at this while Dinah decides to ignore it fully, glad that she doesn’t tend to blush at hearing some things as she moves to a spot with Harley where they have a good view of the stage, but can’t be seen by the audience.

The band is met with cheers, as the others which have played before them; the guy who appears to be the singer introduces them with a rather cheesy line, saying, “we’re the Assassins and we’re here to slay you!”, but people seem to like it, as it earns them cheers, Dinah not very interested in the bald man at microphone or the two long-haired ones with bass and guitar, but keeping her gaze on Helena, the woman looking highly focused now that she’s behind her drum kit.

[The song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYKNm4qMJTc) starts out fairly tame, with just guitar, calmer than Dinah would have expected… and then the drums kick in, and for a few moments, all she can do is stare.

She’s seen her share of good drummers over the years, but this has to be a new high point; Helena’s legs go up and down like pistons, moving so fast it’s unreal as she works the bass drum, and she practically attacks the rest of the drum kit with her sticks, muscle moving visibly as she plays, making Dinah feel decidedly warm. 

She’s fast and precise despite the wild energy with which she plays, and Dinah finds herself wondering if she’s actually able to keep this up for a whole two hour show; already she can see the woman sweat, but as far as Dinah can tell, she doesn’t make any mistakes, scowling in fierce concentration. 

“Man, she really is hot”, Harley comments next to her, grinning when Dinah can only nod, “I mean, shit, look at her go. She must have the stamina of an ox.”

“Why is it that drummers always make such weird faces when they play”, Renee comments from behind them, making them both jump, as they hadn’t noticed her walk up to them, “look at her, gritting her teeth like that, as if she wants to bite someone.”

“You play like that and make a perfectly neutral face”, Dinah feels the inexplicable urge to defend Helena, even though she doesn’t even know the woman; Renee just shrugs, and so Dinah focuses on Helena again, still impressed by her playing, even though she starts to worry the drumset will fall apart, considering how hard Helena is hitting it.

Just so her staring won’t be obvious, she looks at the next singer next, he’s doing a well enough job, she supposes, not a fan of the harsh vocals he uses in combination with clean singing, but then it fits them and the music they play; and for the first time, she pays attention to the lyrics, just as the song reaches the chorus.

_I will never be what they want me to  
_ _I live by my own path in life  
_ _No turning back now_

There’s a sudden break in the song, and perfect silence for a second; and just as the audience starts to cheer, Helena starts up again at the drums, the rest kicking in a few moments later, and Renee does look impressed now, the same emotion in her voice when she speaks up.

“Okay”, she concedes, “that was good, they’re not bad. Timing that so well takes a lot of practice.”

The song ends for real, and the audience cheers; and as it turns out, the next one is only marginally slower, but even though her shirt is drenched in sweat already and her hair is sticking to her face, Helena keeps playing with the same energy, impressing Dinah even further.

“You totally should say Hi to her after our gig”, Harley tells the singer, nudging her and grinning again while Renee rolls her eyes, then wanders off to find her girlfriend again, “and don’t try to deny it, you look at her as if you want to eat her right up. Or out.”

“Well, like you said”, Dinah replies with a shrug, not bothered at being called out like that, “she must have a lot of stamina. I can think of several ways to put that to good use.”

“I bet you do”, Harley snickers, then tugs at her sleeve, “but now we should get ready, they only got one song left to play, then we’re up. Come on!”

Dinah nods, a bit reluctantly, she would have loved to watch Helena a bit longer; she takes one last good look, committing the way the muscle of the woman’s arms and back moves as she plays to memory before she follows Harley, feeling a bit nervous again as their own set is coming closer, but telling herself that she can do this and that it will be fine, they have rehearsed as much as it has been possible in the short time they’d had and certainly, all the work they’ve put into this will pay off.

* * *

“Thank you all for being here”, Dinah addresses the audience a short while later, still nervous, but hiding it well, this might be the first time she sings in a metal band, but she has been up on a stage before, so this is not new to her, and people are cheering them as much as they have cheered the others, so she figures they’ll be good, “we’re the Birds of Prey!”

There’s more cheers, and Harley kicks off the first song at the drums, her manic energy just right for that role; Renee and Ellen are a bit calmer at their instruments, and Dinah is mostly focused on singing, they have practiced a lot, but Harley has only asked her to step in two weeks earlier, so she’s not as familiar with the songs as she would have liked. 

At least, she tells herself as she sings, she’s not forgetting any of the lyrics, and she’s hitting all the right notes; and she can see that people are enjoying it, some are headbanging and others are clapping along, so she figures she’s doing a good job.

She’s still somewhat glad they only pay three songs though, there just wouldn’t have been enough time for her to properly learn more; by the time the third songs ends, she’s smiling widely, the crowd cheering and clapping when the four of them bow as their set is over.

“The Birds of Prey, guys!” the announcer repeats their name once more, “thanks ladies, now let’s get ready for our next and final act!”

“That was great!” Harley says, bouncing as she makes her way to the backstage area again, the other three in tow, “you were so good Dinah, amazing! I think we really got a shot at making it to the next round!”

“If we do, we have to practice more”, Dinah reminds her, “especially if we do more than three songs in the next round.”

“Oh we will”, Renee says, Ellen nodding at once, “and Harley is right, that was great. Great job, everyone.”

She keeps talking, but Dinah is distracted, as she has spotted Helena again; the drummer is sitting on the same couch she’d been on before their set, and the other three members of her band are nowhere to be seen, probably getting drinks or chatting up ladies or doing whatever.

“Excuse me for a moment”, Dinah says, deciding that this is her chance; she takes in a deep breath, then walks to where Helena is sitting, ignoring the other three giggling behind her as they know perfectly well what she is about to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've listened to this song roughly a thousand times while writing the chapter. Good thing it's one of my fave songs. XD


	3. Chapter 3

Helena apparently notices Dinah approach from the corner of her eye, because she looks at her when she’s just a few steps away; Dinah gives her a smile, making it clear it’s her she’s moving towards, and to her amusement, Helena blushes again, cheeks still reddened when Dinah stops at the couch.

“Hey”, the singer says, with another smile, finding the blushing quite adorable, “mind if I join you?”

“Um, no, go ahead”, Helena says, scooting aside a bit to make room for her; Dinah sits down, from the corner of her eye she can see Harley and the others giggle and whisper to each other, but she ignores them, hoping Helena won’t notice, the drummer looks a bit uncomfortable now and she figures that noticing the others giggle would only make that worse.

“Dinah Lance”, she decides that introducing herself is a good start, holding her hand out to the drummer, “you’re Helena Bertinelli, right? My friend Harley told me. She’s our drummer, but, and don’t tell her I said that, she’s not as good as you.”

“Oh”, Helena lets out, appearing a bit surprised now, “thank you? And, um, yeah. I am. Helena Bertinelli.”

“Nice to meet you”, Dinah says, smiling again when Helena gives a terse nod, “we watched you guys play, you know. You’re really good, honestly, I was worried your drumkit might fall apart at some point.”

“It did once, during rehearsal”, Helena admits, seeming more comfortable now that she can talk about drumming, “the guys scolded me, told me I shouldn’t hit it so hard.”

“Oh no”, Dinah says with a small laugh, glad when she gets a little smile from Helena in return, “well, I’m glad for you it didn’t this time. I like your ink, too, by the way, very nice. How far does it go on your upper body?”

“Oh, thanks”, Helena says, glancing at her arms briefly before she looks at Dinah again, “it goes across my back, too, halfway down there?”

“Awesome”, Dinah says, then smirks, a hint of mischief in her eyes now, “maybe you can show me some day.”

Helena can only gawk at her, her smile widening slightly in response; and just then, the drummer’s bandmates come back from wherever they have been, calling out to her that the results of the contest are about to be announced.

“Come on Huntress”, bald guy then adds, waving a bit frantically, clearly excited about the upcoming results, “we’ll know if we made it to the next round!”

“I gotta join them”, Helena says, a bit apologetically, “I’ll see you later…?”

“I certainly hope so”, Dinah tells her, smiling when Helena blushes again; she clears her throat, then gets up and moves to join her bandmates, Dinah returning to her own friends, Harley bouncing with excitement again as the guy on stage starts to talk.

“We’ve heard many great bands tonight, at this Battle of the Bands”, he says, the audience cheering, “just as we have heard many great bands yesterday. And just like yesterday, only three bands can continue on to the next round! Are you ready for the results?! The bands surely are!”

There’s more cheering, and now Dinah feels nervous too; she glances at Helena, who’s standing with her bandmates, looking uneasy as well, glancing her way a moment later though, the singer finding herself smiling when their eyes meet.

“Alright!” the announcer practically shouts, making Dinah grimace, “and here’s the results! On the third place… the Birds of Prey!”

“Fuck yes!” Harley shouts, raising her fists in triumph, the others grinning as well and high fiving each other, as this means they have made it to the next round, one step closer to the record deal the winner will receive; then, they fall silent as the announcer goes on to reveal the second place.

“Second place goes tooooo”, he says, drawing it out until Dinah feels like poking him, and from how Helena grumbles something at her bald bandmate, she feels similar, “theeeeee… Assassins! Congrats you guys. You almost killed the drumkit, but you made it!”

“Yeah!” bald guy shouts, the other two shaking their fists happily while Helena smiles proudly, the sight making Dinah feel quite warm and tingly; she doesn’t really pay attention when the guy on stage announces who has made first place, they both have made it to the next round and she’s glad about that, as it means she’ll have another chance to meet Helena, maybe get her number next time.

“Dinah’s mostly just happy because she can lust over Huntress again”, Harley picks up on that immediately, and Dinah huffs while the other two laugh, “how’d your talk with her go? You gonna take her to bed soon?”

“Shut up”, Dinah hisses at her, Helena has been so awkward when she’s talked to her and she doesn’t want to imagine how much worse this might get if she hears that - and how it might ruin her chances to actually do what Harley just has asked about, “no need to be so blunt about it, what if she hears? Jesus.”

“Then she’ll know what to expect”, Harley says with a shrug, and Dinah rolls her eyes; she shakes her head, then lets the others know she’ll make a quick trip to the restroom, thankful when Renee tells her where it is in response.

Thankfully, there’s no line, so she can walk right in; and when she gets done and walks back out, she nearly jumps in surprise, as bald guy from Helena’s band is standing outside and waving at her with a toothy grin, making it quite obvious he’s been waiting for her. 

“Hey”, he says, Dinah eying him a bit warily, not quite sure what to expect now, and hoping he won’t try to hit on her, as he’s not really her type, only to be surprised at what he says next, “I saw you talking to Helena. I’m gonna be blunt, she can be quite awkward, but if you’re into her, I can help you out.”

“You’re like her wingman or something?” Dinah wants to know, raising an eyebrow; he chuckles and shrugs, then smirks, eyes twinkling when he responds.

“Sort of, but she doesn’t know I am”, he then lets her know, making her smile slightly as well with what he says next, “if she knew I’m here right now talking to you she’d hit me with her drumsticks, and that would hurt. Seriously though, we’re playing a gig next Tuesday, you want to hang with her some more, just show up there and tell the security guy you’re meeting Sal, I’ll put you on the list. Dinah, right?”

“Yeah, Dinah Lance”, Dinah confirms, still a bit surprised at this, “and that’s… nice of you? This is not some weird sort of prank, is it.”

“No, no way”, Sal reassures her at once, looking so taken aback by the question that she can only believe him, “I’m just helping out my cousin. See you on Tuesday then?”

“Um, sure”, Dinah decides to just go for it, he seems honest and genuinely happy at her agreement; he quickly tells her where they will play and how to get there, then lets her know he’s looking forward to seeing her there before he hurries off again, apparently to get back to his bandmates before they’ll grow suspicious.

_ How weird _ , Dinah thinks to herself, but then, Helena  _ has  _ been awkward when they have been talking, and Sal has seemed as if he means it when he’s said he just wants to help her out; she also files the information that they’re cousins away as interesting tidbit, deciding to ignore the slight weirdness of this encounter and that it’s worth a try to show up at the gig next Tuesday, already looking forward to it as she’s quite eager to spend some more time with the drummer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Helpful Sal is helpful. XD


	4. Chapter 4

On Tuesday, Dinah shows up at the venue Sal has told her about, and tells the security guarding the entrance that she’s meeting Sal, feeling weird as she does so, but he checks the list he’s holding and nods, then hands her a sort of sticker she can put on her shirt; a closer reveals that it not only gives her access to the venue itself, but to the backstage, as well, a clear sign that Sal hasn’t been playing some weird sort on prank on her when he’d invited her.

She stands out a bit in her somewhat flashy clothes, compared to the other people attending, as most of them are dressed all in black again; Dinah has never been one to be bothered by this though, and she doesn’t let it bother her this time, either, making her way to the door leading to the backstage area with fast, confident strides.

The security guy standing there just takes one look at her sticker, and nods at once and pulls the door open for her; compared to the venue where the Battle of the Bands has happened, this backstage is a bit small and dingy, but then, Dinah figures, this makes it easier for her find Helena, and she spots the drummer quickly indeed.

Once again, Helena is sitting on a couch, and toying with her drumsticks, listening to the three guys talk and smiling every now and then when one of them apparently says something funny; Dinah takes a bit to just watch her, she is very appealing to look at, then Sal notices her standing there and nudges Helena, nodding in her direction, the three guys laughing when Helena looks over, spots her - and once again drops her sticks.

“Hey”, Dinah says as she now does walk over to the couch, Helena blinking as if she can’t quite believe the singer is here, “this is the second time you drop your sticks when you see me, I guess I better make sure to stand somewhere where you can’t see me when you play?”   


“Hi”, Helena manages, hurriedly picking her sticks up again, “um… I didn’t know you’d show up here tonight. Not that I’m not happy you’re here, I mean!”

The guys snicker again at that, and she glares at them, to Dinah’s amusement; they seem to take this is a good reason to retreat, as they all make up various excuses about why they have to go, leaving the two of them alone as Dinah sits down next to Helena again, giving her a smile as she gets comfortable.

“You’re happy I’m here, then?” she asks, even though she suspects that will make Helena blush again, and it does, the drummer clearing her throat nervously; she manages a short nod though, and when Dinah smiles brightly at her, she smiles back, still toying with her drumsticks, but at least appearing not so awkward anymore now.

“We, um”, she starts, Dinah giving her an encouraging look as she hopes she knows where this is going, “the guys and I? We’ll go have a drink after the show. You, um, you want to come?”

“Sure”, Dinah says at once, and Helena looks so relieved that it’s adorable all over again, as if she’s honestly been worried Dinah will say no; this makes the singer wonder how she can be so full of energy and strength and confidence by her drums, but so insecure and nervous when she’s not playing, and it makes her ask herself if there is some sort of story behind this.

She figures it’s way too early to ask though, so she just smiles at the drummer; she still has time to ask if the guys will be okay with her tagging along, and just as Helena nods, said guys come back and claim they’re about to go out onto stage, so the drummer has to excuse herself.

“No worries”, Dinah reassures her as she gets up and grabs her sticks, “I’ll stand somewhere where you can’t see me, but I am looking forward to watching you play again. You look hot when you play.”

“Yeah, I know I get really sweaty”, Helena says thoughtlessly, then seems to realize what Dinah has been talking about as she snaps her mouth shut with an audible  _ click _ and blushes deeply; Dinah just smirks at her, and after another moment of embarrassed shuffling, Helena follows the guys, somewhat relieved that she can escape onto the stage now.

She feels at home behind her drums, she feels confident and skilled there, in a way she hardly ever feels when she’s not playing; it seems Dinah doesn’t mind though, she seems to find her awkwardness endearing even, instead of weird and off-putting, and Helena is quite glad about that, she’s barely been able to believe a woman as attractive as Dinah would be eying her when she’s noticed exactly that at the Battle of the Bands, and now, it turns out Dinah wants to spend more time with her, and enjoys watching her play.

She thinks of this as she sits behind her drums, of how Dinah has complimented her playing and has told her she looks hot when she does so; this gives her some extra energy, and she actually has to hold herself back when she plays, she figures if she used all the strength Dinah’s interest gives her, the drumset will fall apart again and that would be really embarrassing, during an actual gig and not at rehearsals.

So, Helena makes sure to not hit the drums too hard, she can feel Dinah’s eyes on her as she plays, and it makes her feel warmer than the playing itself does; she has been told before that she is a good drummer - often with slight surprise, as many guys obviously hadn’t been expecting a woman to drum like that - but she never has been told she looks hot doing it, and while it has made her self-conscious at the backstage room, she’s too focused on drumming now to let it distract her much.

Still she’s aware that Dinah is watching her, so when the opening song gets to the part where there’s a few seconds of silence, she takes a moment to show off a new move she secretly has been practicing in front of the mirror, twirling the drumsticks around her fingers before she kicks the song off again, proud she hasn’t messed up and dropped a stick. 

Sadly, the rest of the set doesn’t really give her any more chances to show off her new trick, but as the songs are all high tempo, she gets to demonstrate her drumming skills quite thoroughly; and by the time the last song reaches its end, she’s drenched in sweat, but while her heart races in her chest, she feels good, she feels  _ alive _ , she always feels great when she gets to play.

The audience clearly has enjoyed them too, clapping and cheering as they take a bow; Helena figures she’s not at the point yet where she gets to toss her drumsticks and people will scramble to catch one, she hopes they will get there one day, but for tonight, she keeps the sticks, ruined as they are, as she walks backstage again at last, Dinah eying the splintered sticks with a raised eyebrow.

“Great show”, the singer then says, and for a moment, Helena isn’t sure if she means just her or all of them, “but tell me, is that normal?”

She gestures at the sticks, and Helena just shrugs while Sal laughs and tells her it only is if your name is Helena Bertinelli and you play like a damn beast; at this, Helena blushes again, but it makes Dinah smile, so she figures it’s okay.

“Good show indeed you guys!” the bass player claims, high fiving the others, “and now, drinks! Let’s go, I’m thirsty!”

“From what”, guitar guy wants to know, smirking, while Dinah makes a mental note to find out their names, “just standing there and playing your bass? You barely move, dude.”

“Shut up”, bass guy says, shoving the guitar player, who immediately shoves him back; and from Helena rolls her eyes, Dinah can tell that this is neither the first time this is happening, nor that it is serious, evidenced by the long-suffering tone of Sal when he interrupts the other two.

“Luca, Massimo”, he scolds, simultaneously answering Dinah’s unasked question, “you are like children, stop it. Cause children won’t get beer.”

They stop immediately and let out an “awwww” in perfect unison; and once again, Helena rolls her eyes while Dinah laughs, the drummer smiling at her after a moment, and as Dinah smiles back at her, she hopes that she’ll get a moment alone with her when they go out for drinks, quite sure what she will do then.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohoho, Dinah has a plan... x)


	5. Chapter 5

Before they head out to a bar nearby, Helena retreats to the washroom to change her clothes and wash at least a little bit, she figures Dinah won’t want to sit anywhere near her if she reeks of sweat; she hopes they will play in venues with actual showers soon, but until then, the washbasin will have to do, but at least, she doesn’t smell like a skunk anymore by the time she joins the others again.

“Aw”, Dinah lets out when she sees what Helena is wearing now, taking in the loosely fitting pants with side pockets and the t-shirt she has pulled on, one with regular sleeves which go down to her elbows, “no sleeveless shirt? Pity.”

“I mostly wear those when I play or work out”, Helena tells her, while the three guys exchange looks, amused at how oblivious their drummer is to the real reason for why Dinah thinks this is a pity, “can’t drum in a regular shirt, the sleeves are too restricting.”

“Yeah, I imagine”, Dinah says, eying her arms, “those biceps need room to move, don’t they.”

She reaches out and gives the taller woman’s upper arm a slight squeeze, and this time, Helena doesn’t misread her intention, blushing; to her annoyance, the guys are grinning, but at least, none of them says anything, Sal declaring that it’s time for beer now and that they should get moving.

He leads the way, the others trailing along behind him; the bar isn’t far, just as they had said, and they find a free table quickly, people there apparently knowing them as several of the other guests call out greetings to them while they sit down.

“I’ll go get drinks”, Sal declares, making Dinah wonder if he’s sort of like the dad of the group, with how he has made sure she’ll be here tonight and has stopped the antics of Luca and Massimo, and now volunteers to get drinks, “beer okay for everyone?”

They all let out agreeing noises, and he goes to get the beer; and while he’s gone, Luca and Massimo start chatting about the gig while Dinah focuses on Helena, giving her another smile as she comfortably leans back into the bench, glad that she’s sitting next to the drummer as now, all she has to do is move her leg a tiny bit to have her thigh brush against Helena’s, and from how the taller woman’s eyes dart down, she can tell at once that Helena has felt it.

“You know”, she says, casually putting her arm onto the backrest of the bench, and of course it’s a complete coincidence that this brings her hand into a position where she can brush Helena’s back and shoulder, “I wasn’t sure it’s a good idea when Harley asked me to help out her band, but now I’m quite happy I did that. Cause if I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have ran into you.”

Helena blushes again at this, but smiles; before she can say something though, maybe stutter out how she’s glad they’ve met, too, Sal comes back, carefully carrying five bottles of beer, cursing when he loses his grip on one of them when he tries to put them onto the table.

Helena’s hand shoots out lightning fast, and she catches the bottle before it can tip over and spill; Dinah is impressed, raising her brows as Helena apparently decides this beer is hers now and puts the bottle down in front of her, belatedly noticing how Dinah is looking at her and giving her a clueless look in response.

“You know not everyone could have done that, right”, Dinah wants to know, sounding impressed, as well; Helena just shrugs, she’s indeed aware of this, but her reflexes have always been good, and years of drumming have only made them better.

“The drumming helps”, she thus just says, Dinah still looking impressed; now that there is more danger of beer going everywhere, Sal hands out the rest of the bottles, then sits down and raises his beer, proud, grinning happily as he speaks up.

“To a good gig!” he says, and they all clink their bottles together, “and to our Huntress making a new friend.”

He winks at Dinah, and Dinah smirks, while Helena blushes a bit again; she smiles at Dinah though as their eyes meet, and Dinah feels excited, quite sure that it will work out very fine once she’ll make her move.

* * *

Quite a while and two more drinks later, the guys have gone off to talk to other guests at the bar, and Helena and Dinah are alone at the table; clearly, the alcohol has helped Helena relax a bit, she still appears a bit nervous, but not as high-strung anymore as she has been right after the gig.

“So”, Dinah says after they’ve been talking about books and movies and music for a while, “I think I need some fresh air. You wanna come outside with me?”

“Sure”, Helena replies with a small shrug, and they both come to her feet; Dinah leads the way, Helena trailing along behind her, the singer catching Sal’s eye as they walk towards the door, and he smirks, apparently suspecting that Dinah is having some sort of plan.

They step outside into the crisp night air, and Dinah is somewhat glad that no one’s hanging around there in this very moment; she not only really wants some fresh air, but also some alone time with Helena, and it looks like she will get just this now.

Still she walks a few steps from the door, just to be on the safe side, and Helena follows her; they stop at the corner, and now Dinah turns to face the drummer, smiling up at her as she takes in her lean form, her height only adding to her appeal.

“You know”, she then says lightly, taking a step closer to the drummer, “these things usually… go a certain way.”

Helena blinks, and looks a bit lost, so Dinah decides to elaborate; and as she talks, she reaches out and grasps Helena’s hand, glad when calloused fingers close around hers instead of the taller woman pulling back.

“We dance around each other for a while”, Dinah says, and Helena blinks again, “meeting here and there, stealing touches, make it look accidental, look when we think the other isn’t noticing. I’d like to skip that part.”

“Okay”, Helena manages, finding it hard to talk all at once; her mouth is dry, and she hopes this won’t be a problem, but at least, Dinah seems to be happy with her answer as she smiles at her - before she pushes her up against the wall and kisses her, strong arms wrapping around her at once, the way Helena immediately kisses her back showing her that she’s made the right move.

The kiss deepens fairly quickly, and Dinah feels her knees go weak when she hears Helena groan into her mouth; one of her hands moves to the back of the drummer’s neck while she braces herself against the wall with her other one, noticeably out of breath by the time they finally pull apart again.

She can tell that Helena is quite affected too, her cheeks having reddened again, and she’s breathing heavier, as well; she smiles, running her hand up the other woman’s arm, enjoying the firmness of the muscle beneath her touch, eyes twinkling when she speaks up again.

“So”, Dinah says, Helena still looking a bit dazed, as if she can’t believe this just has happened, “you want to go back inside, or you want some more… fresh air?”

Helena raises her brows in response, getting over her disbelief quickly at hearing this - and answering the question by pulling Dinah close and kissing her again, firm and secure now, all awkwardness gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dinah knows what she wants and isn't afraid to make a move for it XD


	6. Chapter 6

Before Dinah heads home that night, she puts her number into Helena’s phone, and already when she’s in the taxi, a text comes in, Dinah smiling to herself when she sees it’s from Helena, the drummer telling her to get home safely and adding that she now has her number, as well.

_ I do, _ Dinah texts back, smiling to herself,  _ thanks. You get home safely too and let’s repeat this real soon? _

_ Hell yeah _ , Helena’s response comes quick, making the singer smile to herself; she tucks her phone away and leans back into her seat, glad that it has paid off like that to be so bold, and that she hasn’t misread the way Helena has been looking at her and reacting to her carefully placed “accidental” touches.

She makes a mental note to text Helena in the next day, set a time and place for a proper date; she knows Harley wants to meet in the next evening for rehearsals, and she figures Helena will have practice with her band, as well, but she hopes they’ll find an evening where they both are free, and maybe have a nice dinner or go see a movie.

_ Or go classic first date _ , she thinks to herself as the cab drives through the night,  _ dinner  _ and  _ a movie. _

The thought of sitting in a dark cinema hall with Helena is quite appealing, and she smiles to herself; she decides to check the movies in the next day, and just then, the cab pulls up to her building, and after paying the driver, Dinah heads up to her apartment and falls asleep quickly and with a smile on her face.

* * *

In the next evening, Harley just has to take one look at her and can tell that something has happened, and Dinah wonders if that is a skill she just has or if she has been taught how read people like that in her classes, remembering that Harley is studying to be a psychiatrist, as unlikely as this seems when she goes crazy behind her drums.

“Spill”, Harley demands the moment she has set foot into the rehearsal room, eying her critically while Ellen and Renee look mostly confused, apparently not as good at reading people as Harley is, “what’s going on with you?”

“I met Helena yesterday”, Dinah decides not to keep it a secret, even though it might have been fun to march up to Helena at the next round of the Battle of the Bands, kiss her and then see the reaction of her bandmates, “and we had a very good time.”

“Gasp!” Harley says instead of actually gasping, prompting Dinah to snort while Renee shakes her head and Ellen just looks vaguely amused, “Dinah! They are up against us at the next round! Fraternizing with the enemy?”

“I don’t know”, Dinah replies innocently, “does kissing count as fraternizing? And also, jeez, dramatic much, Harley, she’s not  _ the enemy _ .”

“Way to go”, Ellen comments, making the singer smirk, “you saw, you wanted, you got what you wanted. I’m sure there’s a proper Latin phrase for it, but I’m in no mood to translate. Congrats?”

“Thanks”, Dinah says, grinning, “luckily, Helena wanted too, so that worked out fine. I’m gonna ask her on a proper date soon though.”

“Okay, enough talk of Dinah dating the hot drummer, or I’ll get jealous”, Harley declares, and Renee rolls her eyes, something she does quite a bit when Harley has her moments, “let’s get to work ladies, even if Dinah and Helena are swapping spit, we’re still going up against them at the next round!”

“Harley, that sounds disgusting”, Dinah reprimands, and Harley just grins and shrugs, “but you’re right, we should get to work. Which song should we start with? Which ones are we gonna play?”

Harley and Renee start bickering over the setlist at this, and Dinah lets them, figuring she’s not really been in the band long enough to argue with them; and apparently, Ellen is in no mood to get into that, either, busying herself with handing the singer a water bottle instead and opening with one of her own, taking a few deep gulps before she looks at Dinah again. 

“You serious about Bertinelli?” she then asks, and that does surprise Dinah a bit, as she hasn’t quite expected Ellen to ask about the drummer so bluntly; she nods after a moment, she does like Helena and doesn’t just want to have a brief fling with her, and while she can’t be certain Helena feels the same, she assumes that it’s the case.

“Good”, Ellen says, and doesn’t say anything else; Dinah is curious now, wondering if Ellen knows something about Helena she is unaware of, but before she can figure out a good way to ask, Harley and Renee finally finish their squabbling over the setlist and Harley loudly claps her hands, grinning again as she practically bounces to her drumset.

“We got it!” she then declares, “get ready guys! Dinah, there’s one song you haven’t done with us yet, but it’s not very hard, and you’re awesome, so you’ll rock it in no time. You guys ready?”

“I guess so”, Dinah says, she has warmed up her voice before having headed to the rehearsal, mostly because Harley tends to giggle at some of her exercises; she knows it can sound weird, and she wouldn’t have minded Harley giggle, but when she has done her warming up right before rehearsal one time, Harley had kept laughing as she had played, and had kept messing up, so now she gets it done at home just before heading out. 

“Okay”, Harley says happily, Ellen and Renee grabbing their instruments, “let’s get going then, let’s start with the one Dinah doesn’t know, see how it works with her voice. We still got time to make changes to the setlist if it doesn’t work out.”

“No changes unless it really doesn’t work”, Renee strictly says at once, and Harley huffs while Dinah just smiles, amused at their constant bickering, “I’m not going through another discussion like the one we just had. Let’s just get started. Dinah, here’s the lyric sheet, we’ll play it so you’ll have an idea how it goes, alright?”

“Alright”, Dinah agrees, and Harley counts them in; they start playing, and Dinah follows the music as her eyes scan the lyrics, she likes the song already and figures it will work well with her voice, looking forward to the next round of the contest, and not just because she’ll get to see Helena again there.

She hasn’t been sure this is a really good idea when Harley has asked her to help out, but now, with things are developing, she’s quite happy she has agreed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soon, Dinah will be even happier. XD


	7. Chapter 7

_ Hey _ , Dinah texts once rehearsal is over and she is on her way back home,  _ are you free tomorrow evening or the evening after that? xo Dinah _

_ Am free tomorrow _ , Helena’s response comes quickly, making the singer smile,  _ rehearsal the day after that. Dinner? _

_ Sounds good _ , Dinah smiles as she types, happy that Helena has suggested going out for dinner, as it signals that she wants more than a simple fling, as well, like Dinah herself does,  _ when and where? _

_ I know an amazing pizza place, proper Italian pizza, _ Helena answers fast again, and Dinah imagines her sitting at her home with her phone in hand, even though she has no idea what Helena’s home actually looks like,  _ pick you up at seven? _

_ Perfect, I love pizza _ , Dinah lets her know, then adds her address so Helena actually knows where to pick her up from; the dummer sends back a thumbs up emoji, and Dinah decides to be daring, and responds with one which blows a kiss. 

Helena sends the same one back not even ten seconds later, and it makes Dinah grin like an idiot; this earns her some weird looks from the other people on the bus, but she couldn’t have cared less, still smiling to herself as she tucks her phone away again.

She’s almost absurdly happy still when she gets off the bus, and wonders if this is too much of a reaction, after all, it just has been some emojis they have sent back and forth; on the other hand, they have a proper dinner date, and she figures this is a good reason to be happy, now having something to look forward to in the next evening.

* * *

In the next evening, Dinah is ready at half past six, and while that might be a bit early, she figures it’s better to be done by the time Helena arrives instead of making her wait; and as it turns out, the drummer is five minutes early, knocking her door at 6:55, and when Dinah opens it, she raises an eyebrow in appreciation, as Helena is wearing a sleeveless shirt, and apparently has done some sort of workout before coming here, both her muscle and her ink on prominent display for Dinah’s appreciative gaze. 

“Nice”, she says, letting her eyes run over the taller woman’s body quite unabashedly, smiling a bit when Helena colours slightly, as if she’s not quite used to be looked at like that, “you put that on just for me? If not, please lie and say Yes anyway.”

“I did”, Helena says, Dinah’s smile widening in response, “and that was not a lie, by the way, you said you liked it when I wore this so…”

“I appreciate it”, Dinah tells her, then decides she needs to make it clear how much exactly she appreciates it; she places her hands on Helena’s upper arms and gives a short squeeze, then kisses her, a slower and more gentle kiss compared to the one they’ve had outside the bar, one which sends goosebumps up and down her spine.

“Okay”, she mumbles as they pull apart again, “we better not do that again, or I’ll drag you to the bedroom right now and we’ll never make it to that pizza place.”

Helena only manages a brief nod, having to swallow heavily, showing Dinah she’s not the only one who’s affected by the kiss; she clears her throat, then grabs her purse and lets Helena know she’s ready to go, taking a moment to lock her apartment door before they head out together.

“So, hey”, Helena says, apparently having regained enough of her composure to talk, “you’re not afraid of riding a motorcycle, are you?”

“What”, Dinah lets out, blinking, “no? I’m not? Why are you asking?”

“Cause this is our ride for the evening”, Helena tells her as they step out of the building, gesturing at the motorcycle parked in front of it; Dinah blinks, then smiles, she doesn’t know much about motorcycles, but this looks like a powerful machine, sleek and black, and she’s even more impressed when Helena hands her a spare helmet, glad that the drummer has thought of bringing one. 

“Impressive guns, awesome ink  _ and  _ a bike like that?” she says, making Helena smile a bit, “man, what did I do to get so lucky?”

“Made the first move?” Helena suggests, making Dinah laugh; the drummer smiles at her, then pulls on her helmet, prompting Dinah to do the same, and she knows enough about motorcycles to wait until Helena has gotten on it and has moved it into an upright position before she gets on as well, wrapping both arms around the taller woman’s waist.

“Just squeeze me twice if I’m going too fast”, Helena instructs, Dinah doubts this is a real danger, but she nods anyway, “I might not hear if you call out to me, with the helmet and the wind. If you need me to stop, tap my stomach.”

“That sounds like some sort of routine”, Dinah points out, voice muffled by the helmet, but Helena still understands her well enough, “you often take girls on rides on this thing?”

“No”, Helena protests at once, making Dinah smile to herself as she hasn’t quite been serious, with how awkward Helena has been, she’s been fairly certain the woman doesn’t have much game, “Luca sometimes rides with me, and that is what he does when I go too fast.”

“I was kidding”, Dinah calms her down, “but it is good to know you don’t have a different girl on this every other day.”

“I don’t”, Helena reassures her, “in fact, you’re the first girl I’m taking for a ride. So… Yeah.”

Dinah squeezes her in response, and smiles to herself when she feels the drummer shudder in response; she hopes this won’t influence Helena’s ability to drive, but when Helena does start the engine, her driving seems secure, so Dinah relaxes, still holding on to her properly, but not so tight it would be uncomfortable for her.

Helena drives fast, but not so fast it would have frightened Dinah; and so, there’s no need for her to squeeze or to tap her stomach, and she gets to enjoy being so close to her instead, feeling how firm her stomach is beneath her hands, just another sign for the good shape Helena is in.

The drive doesn’t take long, to Dinah’s dismay, she wouldn’t have minded riding for a little while longer; when Helena does park the bike, it’s in front of a rather unobtrusive restaurant, a place she wouldn’t have chosen if she had walked past it, but then, she figures Helena knows her stuff when it comes to Italian pizza, so she doesn’t doubt her.

“I hope you’ll enjoy this”, Helena says as they both get off the bike and she pulls off her helmet, “fair warning though, this has forever made it impossible for me to eat American pizza. To me, this is just so much better.”

“Well, now I really want to try this”, Dinah tells her, making her smile a bit, “but if I can never eat American pizza again after this, I hope you’re aware I’ll blame you. You’ll have to make it up to me.”

“I’ll think of something”, Helena solemnly says, making Dinah smirk; Helena smiles back at her, then they enter the restaurant, the singer looking forward to a nice evening with her date, glad that they are spending this evening together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Date time! :D


	8. Chapter 8

“Okay”, Dinah says a short while later, after having taken the first bite of her pizza, “I have to say, I was sceptical when I saw they only have tomato sauce and cheese pizza? But this is amazing. Oh my God.”

“Yes, they are very traditional here”, Helena tells her, smiling at the happy look on the singer’s face as she takes another bite, “I’m glad you like it. Their pizza oven is like a hundred years old, they’re making it from scratch, like their grandmas back in Italy.”

“This is really good”, Dinah says again, “we’ll have to come here more often in the future.”

“I’d like that”, Helena says, then apparently realizes she might have sounded a bit too serious as she clears her throat, “but, um, we can go other places too. You know. Um… or you can come here alone… Or with someone else…”

“Helena”, Dinah interrupts her before she can talk a knot into her own brain, “I was implying i want go to on future dates with you. I enjoy spending time with you.”

“I enjoy spending time with you, too”, Helena says, blushing a bit; and just then, the cook emerges from the kitchen and comes over to their table, a long slim man with a mustache so big Dinah just  _ has  _ to stare at it, his whole face lighting up when he sees Helena and her eat the pizza.

“Helena!” he then hollers as he approaches them, even though he’s just a few more steps away and the restaurant isn’t that big as it is, “so good to see you again! How are you and your lady friend enjoying the pizza?!”

“It’s very good”, Dinah reassures him, a bit taken aback by his volume, but apparently that is nothing unusual, as the waiter calls out “Roberto! Indoor voice!”, the cook having the grace to look a bit embarrassed before he shrugs and smiles widely, clearly happy to hear that Dinah likes it.

“This is proper pizza”, he then declares, actually twirling his mustache, and Dinah has to hold back a laugh, “not the crap Americans call pizza. No offense.”

“None taken”, Dinah reassures him, making him smile brightly again, “I just told Helena she’ll have to come here with me more often from now on. It’s delicious.”

“A girl of good taste!” Roberto declares, “but you are with Helena, so that is already a given. Enjoy your meals girls!”

Helena colours at his comment, but Dinah smiles at her, and that makes it a bit better; she takes a bite of her own pizza, prompting Dinah to do the same, both chewing in silence for a while until Dinah is the one to speak up again.

“So, Helena”, she says, “tell me, how often do you come here that this guy knows you by name?”

“Oh, a lot”, Helena tells her with a little shrug, and Dinah finds herself if it’s somewhat special that she has been brought here, then, “I used to work here, too? Before I started booking more work as a session drummer, I’m not getting rich with that, but I make enough by now to live off of it.”

“Oh nice”, Dinah says, impressed, “that’s the dream, to be able to live off of music. I’m not there yet, but hopefully some day.”

“You’re really good”, Helena solemnly tells her, making her smile again at how serious she is, “so you will, I’m sure of it. Hey, maybe I can hook you up with some of the people I got to know over the years.”

“Oh that would be nice”, Dinah tells her, smile widening, “and very kind of you, thank you. I appreciate it.”

Helena just shrugs, then smiles a bit; feeling daring now, Dinah reaches over the small table to grasp her hand, but then, she figures, they have made out right outside the bar the other night, so some hand holding shouldn’t be much of a problem. 

Apparently, Helena feels similar, she blushes a bit again, but doesn’t pull back, even moves her thumb to run it over the singer’s knuckles; Dinah can feel the callouses from holding the drum sticks, and it sends a pleasant shiver up and down her spine, and even though this is their first proper date, she finds herself wondering how those calloused hands will feel on her body.

_ Shit, slow down _ , she reprimands herself at last, finally letting go again to eat another slice of pizza, feeling absurdly sad when she realizes there is only one left after that,  _ don’t need Harley and her expertise to figure out Helena isn’t a pro when it comes to dating. Don’t rush things. _

“So, you still got room for dessert?” Helena distracts her from these decidedly not clean thoughts, “they make amazing tiramisu here. And there’s an Italian ice cream vendor a little bit down the street, if you’d prefer that.”

“Don’t you dare take her anywhere else for dessert”, the waiter shouts from behind the bar, and Helena shuts her mouth at once and blushes, to Dinah’s amusement, “you can go take her for ice cream for the next date!”

“Tiramisu it is then, I guess”, Dinah says with a small laugh, Helena still looking a bit embarrassed, but smiling a little bit again as well, “but your friend is right, we should keep the ice cream guy in mind for the next date.”

“Smart girl!” the waiter praises, grinning, “for that, have some cappuccino on the house with your tiramisu.”

“Thanks, man”, Helena dryly replies, “the least you can do after you yelled through the whole place about the ice cream.”

“Serves you right for talking about going to Lorenzo’s instead of having dessert here”, the waiter tells her, unimpressed by her tone, “but fine, you got all blushy, so the tiramisu is on the house, too. Happy?”

“Very”, Helena tells him, Dinah shaking her head at their antics - she does have her places where she is a regular, as well, and where the staff knows her name, but she can tell that there is more behind this than Helena being a simple regular who also worked here for a while, there is a certain familiarity between the cook, the waiter and her date which appears to go deeper than just former colleagues.

“Awesome”, the waiter says, clapping his hands and then shouts towards the kitchen, “Roberto! Two tiramisus for Helena and her date!”

“I heard you gave them away”, Roberto hollers back, Dinah giggling into her hand while Helena shakes her head, “Leonardo! You have to stop doing that. Next you’ll give them the pizza for free, too!”

“No, of course not”, Leonardo argues back, Dinah still snickering to herself, Helena smiling at her amusement, “but come on! Helena has been coming here for years and she finally brought a date! This needs to be celebrated!”

Dinah takes note of how Helena blushes again a bit at “finally brought a date”, but decides not to ask for the moment; she just smiles at the drummer, and after a second, Helena smiles back at her, and she’s once again happy to share this moment with the taller woman, glad that things are working out so well between them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *lets them have a cute adorable date* x)


	9. Chapter 9

“Ooff, I’m full now”, Dinah tells Helena once the drummer has paid and they are leaving the restaurant together, Helena having insisted on paying both, claiming it has been her idea to go to this place, “maybe we can take a little walk before we get on your bike again? I’m not sure my belly can handle a bike ride right now.”

“Yeah, sure”, Helena agrees at once, liking the thought of spending more time with the singer, “this is a nice neighbourhood, we can just walk around a bit?”

“Sounds good”, Dinah smiles, then makes Helena blush yet again by reaching out and grasping her hand; she feels a pleasant shiver run up her spine when Helena’s fingers curl around hers, and gives the drummer yet another smile as they start strolling down the sidewalk at a leisurely pace, in no hurry to go anywhere.

“You know”, Helena breaks the not uncomfortable silence after a while, making Dinah look up at her, “once this Battle of the Bands thing is over, and we’re not technically opposing each other anymore, maybe you could do some guest vocals for us? The guys and I, we really liked your voice.”

“Aw, thank you”, Dinah smiles, appreciating the compliment and earning another smile in return, “and that sounds like a good idea, as long as you don’t want me to do that growly voice thing Sal does.”

“Oh no”, Helena reassures at once with a small laugh, Dinah’s smile widening as she finds the sound quite adorable, “but we thought the contrast might work well. You know? Your lovely clear voice with Sal’s growls.”

“Like a beauty and the beast thing?” Dinah asks, just to clarify, and Helena nods at once, making the singer smile again, “yeah, you might be right, that could work. Worth a try, at least.”

“Awesome”, Helena says, sounding so happy it warms Dinah’s heart, “the guys are gonna be happy and, uh, we’ll get to spend more time together…”

“I like the sound of that”, Dinah reassures her at once, and just as Helena smiles at her again, someone calls out “Helena!” a few feet away, and from how the drummer’s features darken, Dinah can tell at once that she’s not happy to hear that voice.

It belongs to a young man, she quickly spots the one who has called out as he approaches them, and a closer look shows the similarities in his features and Helena’s; he’s clearly younger than her, dressed in a surprisingly conservative business style for someone his age, and Dinah wonders if he’s a relative, they look similar enough he might be, but she figures that this wouldn’t a good moment to ask.

“Pino”, Helena says, and while her tone isn’t outright unfriendly, it’s not exactly welcoming either, “hello.”

“Hi”, he says, eying Dinah, and Helena’s gaze darkens, “who’s your friend?”

“None of your business”, Helena says before Dinah has the chance to say something, and he makes a face, the drummer not looking very impressed or touched though.

“Come on”, he says, sounding hurt, but even though Dinah doesn’t know him, she can’t quite believe this is genuine, not sure why, “is that a way to talk to your brother?”

Helena just glares at him, and after a moment, he shrugs, then gives a bright smile, Helena not smiling back at him though, her gaze darkening even further at what her brother says next.

“Well, I’ll tell Mom and Dad I ran into you”, he declares, “but I guess you won’t want me to send them any greetings?”

“No”, Helena curtly replies, and this only makes Dinah more curious, but she holds back the questions which burn on her tongue; Pino just shrugs, as if he’s expected that, then gives a little wave and continues on his way, Dinah noticing how Helena only visibly relaxes once he’s past them and out of earshot.

“Sorry about that”, she then mumbles, Dinah giving her hand a reassuring squeeze, she’s so curious now, but she doesn’t want to ruin things by asking too much too fast, figuring Helena will tell her once she deems the time is right to do so, “my younger brother. It’s… complicated.”

Dinah just nods, she is still curious, but she can tell Helena is uncomfortable, and so, she change the topic and asks if she has any ideas for the song she might guest on, the look Helena gives her so grateful and relieved that it makes her heart melt.

“A few”, she says, “I haven’t really written any for a female singer? But there are a few which can work, if I tweak the lyrics a bit.”

“Oh wow”, Dinah lets out, surprised enough to momentarily forget how curious the brief interaction with Helena’s brother has made her, “I didn’t know you write the songs.”

“Not all of it”, Helena tells her, shrugging a bit as they keep walking now, “just the rhythm stuff and the lyrics. Sal can sing however he wants it, and Luca does his own solos, I’m not good on enough with the guitar to come up with those.”

“Still, impressive”, Dinah says, earning a somewhat sheepish smile from the drummer, “and I’m sure you’ll get one of the songs to work as a duet, or more than one maybe, if the first one we try works out fine.”

“I’ll try my best, at least”, Helena reassures her, “but the guys think so too. I hope they’re right to trust in my skill like that.”

“Well, I like what I’ve heard so far of your music”, Dinah reassures her, making her smile again, “and that weighs extra heavy cause normally, that’s not really my genre. So I’m sure it’ll work out just fine.”

Helena smiles at that, and nods, and Dinah gives her hand another squeeze; then, she decides that she has held back long enough, and tucks the drummer closer, pulling her in for a short, but gentle kiss, her heart skipping a beat when Helena kisses her back at once.

“Why don’t we go back to my place”, she mumbles once they have pulled apart again, “more privacy there…”

“Oh, um”, Helena makes, needing a moment to regain her composure enough to actually give a proper answer, “sure…? I’d like that.”

“Good”, Dinah says with a smile, squeezing her hand again, “back to the bike, then?”

“Yeah”, Helena agrees quickly this time, Dinah’s smile widening in response; and so, they turn and head back to her bike together, Helena feeling a bit nervous, but excited while Dinah is smirking to herself, already quite sure what she will do with Helena the moment they are in her home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohoho. Helena's not happy to see her brother, but she'll feel much better next chapter ;)


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a bit smutty, so possibly NSFW ;)

Dinah doesn’t waste any time with pretending to want a drink or snacks once they arrive at her home; she practically pushes Helena down onto the couch, and straddles her, and judging from how Helena’s arms immediately go around her, Helena doesn’t mind one bit, the drummer pulling her closer immediately and into a rather passionate kiss.

Not wanting to hold back either, Dinah lets her hands travel up Helena’s arms, only turned on further by the firmness beneath her palms; she has to pull back from the kiss after a bit as oxygen is becoming an issue, and Helena is breathing heavier, as well, the way she looks at her though sending pleasant heat up and down her spine.

“You know”, Dinah mumbles, letting her hands slide down again, from Helena’s arms to her ribcage, “I believe I did tell you that I want to see all of your ink. Show me?”

“I’d have to take off… oh”, Helena realizes what Dinah is going for before she finishes her sentence, Dinah smiling slightly as the drummer colours, “yeah, sure.”

She clears her throat, then pulls the shirt over her head and tosses it aside; leaning forward to get a peek at her back, Dinah is very aware of this how her brings her chest quite close to Helena’s face, and she would be lying if she’d say this hasn’t happened fully on purpose.

“Nice”, she compliments, getting a proper look at the rest of the tattoo, more black and red lines which run across Helena’s shoulders and follow the line of her spine, halfway down her back, “but man, this must have taken hours and hours, did it hurt?”

“Kinda”, Helena says, in a somewhat rough voice, Dinah pretending to not know why that is as she sits back, but she does take note of how Helena briefly looks disappointed, “but it’s… done. So. Yeah.”

“Yeah”, Dinah repeats with a slight smirk, then leans in to kiss her again; belatedly, Helena seems to realize that she’s without a shirt now while Dinah is not, and decides that this is unfair, as her hands move to tug at the garment, the singer pulling back from the kiss just long enough so Helena can pull it over her head.

“Just so you know”, Dinah mumbles as she takes note of the way Helena looks at her, with admiration and a bit of wonder, as if she can’t believe this is really happening to her, “I normally don’t do this on the first proper date? But I think I’ve wanted you the moment I saw you at that backstage.”

“I, um, I’ve found you very attractive too”, Helena tells her, not telling her anything new as Dinah has seen her drop the drumsticks when she’s looked at her for the first time, “I just… thought I’d never actually have a chance.”

“Are you kidding”, Dinah demands to know, shaking her head, “you’re hot. And funny, and kind and sweet, what more could I want?”

Helena blushes, and shrugs, prompting Dinah to give her another smile - before she kisses her again, and after the compliments she just has received, Helena seems to feel more daring, as she moves one hand to the singer’s breast, carefully brushing it at first, until Dinah leans into her touch, signalling that it’s okay.

“Okay”, Dinah is the one to break the kiss again, breathing heavily at this point, Helena’s hand still on her breast and only turning her on further, “we either gotta stop right now, or take this to the bedroom.”

“Bedroom”, Helena says at once, making Dinah smirk slightly, she has been hoping for this answer; she nods and gets up, then grasps Helena’s hand and pulls her to her feet, leading the way to the bedroom.

Once there, she takes control again, pushing Helena down onto bed and then moving on top of her; she kisses her again, hungrily now, unable to hold back a moan when Helena brings up one leg so that her thigh presses against her at just the right spot, sending flashes of heat through her even with the clothing they still are wearing.

Eager to get that clothing out of the way, Dinah shifts on her, just enough so she can get at her pants; she quickly opens the button and Helena raises her hips so she can pull them off, Dinah smiling at her as she removes her own pants as well, the drummer swallowing heavily at the sight of the singer in her underwear now.

“Nice choice of undergarment”, Dinah comments, raising an eyebrow at the boxers Helena is wearing, their pink panther print a rather stark contrast to the rest of her look; to her amusement, Helena doesn’t blush this time, but just smirks and shrugs, apparently having gained further confidence now that they both are almost naked.

“In my defense, I didn’t expect to get laid tonight”, she then says, Dinah letting out a burst of laughter in response; Helena’s smile widens, then she pulls Dinah in for another kiss this time, the singer quite glad when she feels Helena’s hand move to the clasp of her bra.

After that, it doesn’t take long until they’re both naked, and when Dinah reaches between Helena’s legs, she can’t hold back a groan at the wetness she finds there; Helena groans at once the moment she touches her, and when she moves her fingers just the tiniest bit, the drummer actually twitches, Dinah raising an eyebrow as she realizes how close Helena is to coming already.

She knows better than to comment on it though, simply kisses her again as she keeps moving her fingers; and it indeed doesn’t take long, Helena quickly gasping at her touch, arching into her touch as she comes, surprisingly quiet as she does so, but Dinah is watching her closely and she can tell she’s hit her climax, just from the look on her face.

It takes Helena a while to recover, her breathing still heavy as she looks at Dinah with that look of awe again; it almost makes the singer fidget, she’s not used to being looked like this, but thankfully, it doesn’t last long, as Helena does recover at last, a smirk which mirrors Dinah’s on her face now as she moves to kiss her again, her hand gliding down the singer’s body as she’s eager to return the favour.

“Fair warning”, Dinah mumbles, interrupting herself with a low moan when Helena hits a fairly sweet spot, “unlike you, I tend to… be loud.”

“Hot”, is all Helena has to say to that, then kisses her again, muffling the moans she soon starts to let out at least a little bit, until Dinah is in need for air too badly and has to pull back, her moans getting louder as it turns out that years of drumming not only have made Helena’s fingers calloused, but quite nimble, as well.

She does get louder still as she nears her climax, and from how Helena groans in response, she enjoys hearing this; and when the orgasm does hit, Dinah not only cries out, but clings to Helena with enough enthusiasm to leave scratches on her back, the drummer groaning again as this sends pleasant pain through her.

“Shit”, Dinah gasps as she slumps onto the pillow again, still coherent enough to take note of how Helena smirks, looking a bit smug, “wow Helena, you really do have skilled fingers.”

Helena’s smirk widens slightly, and she leans in for another kiss, a slow and tender one this time; and when afterwards, Dinah suggests she should spend the night, Helena nods at once, and they fall asleep holding each other, snuggled close beneath the covers, enjoying a different sort of intimacy after what they just have shared.


	11. Chapter 11

In the next morning, Dinah wakes to the pleasant feeling of a warm body beneath hers, smiling before she even has properly opened her eyes; Helena is still fast asleep, sprawled on her back, and Dinah finds herself lying halfway on top of her as she wakes up fully.

She’s in no hurry to get up, so she just remains where she is, and studies Helena’s sleeping form; she takes in the sharp lines of her face, so different to her own softer features, and the ink running up her arms, getting a better look at it now, close as she is to the sleeping drummer.

It takes Dinah quite a bit of willpower to not reach out and trace the coloured lines, as she’s fairly certain this will wake Helena up; and while part of her wants coffee and breakfast, and another, bigger part of her enjoys this, enjoys seeing Helena so relaxed and comfortable, and enjoys being so close to her.

As it turns out, she doesn’t need to ignore her need for caffeine and food for long though, as Helena stirs a short while after Dinah has woken up, then opens her eyes and blinks sleepily; her gaze meets Dinah’s, and the singer smiles at her, now running gentle fingers up her arm after all, the drummer smiling back at her at the tender touch.

“Good morning”, Dinah says, propping herself up a bit so she can get a proper look at the other woman’s face, “slept well?”

“Very”, Helena reassures her, making her smile again, “you too?”

Dinah nods, then moves one hand to cup her jaw and leans down to kiss her good morning, doing so quite thoroughly; she feels Helena’s arms wrap around her and pull her closer again, and she feels a different kind of hunger now, despite how thoroughly that sort of appetite has been sated the previous night.

“I did”, she tells the drummer after the kiss, “and now I want breakfast. But before that, we should have a shower, don’t you think?”

“Shower sounds good”, Helena agrees at once, with a glint in her eyes which tells Dinah she’s not the only one feeling aroused; she smiles and steals another quick kiss, then gets out of bed and gives Helena an inviting look, laughing when the drummer practically hops up, her eagerness both touching and amusing to the singer.

“Let’s go then”, she says, grasping Helena’s hand even though the bathroom isn’t far; Helena nods again, and together, they head into the bathroom, ready to start their day in the best way possible.

* * *

After the shower and breakfast together, they have to part ways, as Helena has been hired to do some drumwork in the early afternoon and Dinah has work to do, as well; Helena promises to call though, so they can meet at least once more before the next round of the contest, even though they both will be somewhat busy until then with rehearsals and their jobs.

They share another tender kiss at Dinah’s door, then Helena heads out; and while she normally isn’t quite one for such sappy things, Dinah finds herself at the window, just so she can see Helena get on her bike and drive off, smiling to herself as she watches the drummer for as long as she can.

She feels good and content as she gets ready for her job, waitressing at a café nearby; it pays well enough to keep her going, and so far, she has managed to not have her shifts collide with rehearsals and the contest, and she hopes it will remain that way, or that perhaps, the band will end up big enough that she can quit fully and live off the music, even though she knows that skill alone isn’t enough for that, that they will need a good amount of luck, as well.

For now though, Dinah doesn’t allow herself to be bothered by these thoughts, she feels too good and satisfied to worry about such things; she hums to herself as she gets ready, and before she heads out, she checks her phone out of habit, smiling when she sees she’s received two text messages, one from Harley and one from Helena.

She opens Helena’s first, it’s short but sweet, a simple “I miss you already” with the emoji blowing a kiss; she quickly texts back that she feels the same and adds the same emoji, then checks Harley’s message, shaking her head to herself when she sees it’s a reminder about rehearsal that evening, rolling her eyes as she knows Harley is the one more likely to forget than she is.

_ I’ll be there _ , she texts back, then tucks her phone into her pocket and heads out; she momentarily wishes she would have thought of asking Helena for a ride, the café is within comfortable walking distance from her home, but she wouldn’t have minded sitting close behind Helena on the bike again, having to practically force her mind away from those thoughts as she walks to the café.

It’s quite full already as she arrives, and Dinah is glad about that, as it will not only keep her busy, but will mean better tips as well; and even though she’s early, she gets to work at once, to the obvious relief of the cafe’s owner, the waiter who’s had the shift before hers is fairly new and still struggling a bit with the workload.

Dinah has more routine, and is soon quickly taking orders and bringing them to the tables; she barely notices when the new waiter ends his shift and leaves, distractedly waving to him as he heads out, her focus on her work, even though her mind strays to Helena every now and then despite her best efforts, to how good the drummer has made her feel the previous night.

She’s thinking of exactly that again when she sees the man they’ve run into the previous evening, Helena’s brother, she remembers, even though she can’t recall his name, and from how he smirks at her, she can tell he’s very aware of who she is.

“Why, hello”, he says, and she likes neither the way he eyes her, nor the smarmy smile he gives her, “my sister’s girlfriend. I didn’t catch your name when I ran into the two of you yesterday.”

“That’s because I didn’t tell it to you”, Dinah replies, she knows it’s irrational to not like him as she doesn’t know the man at all, but she has seen how Helena has reacted to him, and he gives off a weird vibe which just hits her the wrong way, “are you here to order something, or to bother me about my name?”

“Well, I’ll need your name for the check”, he says lightly, and Dinah raises an eyebrow, she doesn’t really have time for this, but he continues before she can tell him so, “you might not be aware of this, but the Bertinelli name is quite… important, in certain circles. Unfortunately, my dear sister is not doing it any favours with her behaviour.”

“Look, I’m not sure you know how this goes, but I do work here”, Dinah points out, not liking this, suddenly just knowing nothing good will come from this talk, “so you either order something, or you gotta go. I have no time to talk about the importance of your name.”

“I’ll make it brief, then”, he says, holding a check out to her, and the amount momentarily makes her breath catch, it’s more than she’s made all of the previous year, “this can be yours. All you have to do is dump my sister.”

“Excuse me?” Dinah snaps, and his smile falters, “what the fuck did you just say? Get out of here now before I throw you out!”

Clearly, he hasn’t expected her to react this way, as he looks too surprised for it to be fake; Dinah gives him another glare, and even takes a threatening step closer to him, and that gets him moving, as he tucks the check back into his pocket and hurriedly comes to his feet.

“Think about it”, he still says, and Dinah has to fight the urge to actually smack him; and he can apparently read that in her face, as he retreats quickly, not looking back as he hurries outside.

“What the Hell was that about”, her boss wants to know, sounding curious though and not angry, to Dinah’s relief; she sighs, then shrugs, she can’t believe this just has happened, that this man has tried to bribe her into dumping Helena, because of some weird sort of name thing she couldn’t have cared less about.

“Just some rich asshole”, she thus says, and her boss rolls her eyes before she goes back to work, Dinah doing the same, making a mental note to text Helena during her next break, eager to tell her about this and find out what the Hell all of this has been about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pino. Don't be an ass.


	12. Chapter 12

Helena is waiting at the building where the Birds of Prey have their rehearsal room, leaning against the wall when Dinah arrives; she hasn’t wanted to reveal what has happened through a text or on the phone, so she just has told Helena she needs to see her, the drummer looking worried now, clearly not expecting anything good.

“Hey”, Dinah greets her, figuring she should make it clear there’s no trouble between them and pulling her in for a brief, but gentle kiss; Helena looks a bit worried still after that, but a little less so, Dinah figuring though that anger will soon replace that look, once she’ll tell her what her brother has done.

“So, um”, she starts, deciding not to beat around the bush, “your… brother showed up at the café I work at today. He waved a check in my face and told me it’s mine if I… dump you.”

To her surprise and slight concern, Helena doesn’t get angry; she just sighs, and suddenly seems to find it hard to look at her, and after a moment, Dinah realizes why, her eyes widening for a second before she shakes her head.

“I told him no, of course!” she then exclaims, not sure if she should be offended now or worried at this somewhat resigned reaction, “I told him to fuck off. You’re not thinking I’d do that, do you?”

“He’ll try again”, Helena tells her in response, still not sounding angry, just tired, and suddenly Dinah realizes why that is, and her heart flies out to her.

“This isn’t the first time he does that, is it”, she says in disbelief, she can’t fathom why someone would do something like that, what the reasoning for such behaviour might be, “but why? Why would he…”

“Long story”, Helena mumbles, but at least she doesn’t look worried anymore now, Dinah figuring she’s believing her that she wouldn’t take the money, “but I’ll give you the short version, if only so you know what you might be getting into. Came out as gay to my family when I was eighteen, got kicked out, made it on my own, and now my brother seems to think I’ll come crawling back if he just makes me miserable enough. And be the nice little proper daughter my parents wanted.”

“That is some weird man logic”, Dinah ponders out loud, quite horrified at what Helena just has told her, but trying her best to not let this show, figuring Helena wouldn’t like it to be pitied, “like, how does that train of thought even go? I’ll make her miserable until she comes back to the very source of that?”

Helena just shrugs, and sighs again; and now Dinah finds herself wondering what else this despicable man has done to make her life harder, an unasked question Helena answers a moment later, as if she’s read her mind.

“He tried to bribe the guys, too”, she tells Dinah, and the singer feels new rage at the man, if he had shown up now, she would have punched him, “so they’d kick me out of the band. They told him to fuck off.”

“Well, so will I if he shows his face again”, Dinah tells her, “honestly, what an asshole. And just so you know, I don’t care how much he tries to offer me, he won’t get me to dump you.”

This at least has the effect she has been going for, as Helena smiles a bit again now, looking a bit happier again; Dinah smiles back at her, and grasps her hand, giving it a tender squeeze, glad when this prompts the drummer’s smile to widen.

“This is more than a fling, for me”, she says, Helena nodding at once, making her smile again as well, “I really like you, so you don’t need to worry about your brother getting me to leave. Alright?”

“Alright”, Helena mumbles, now blushing a bit, “and… I didn’t want to make you think I’m… sure you’d take it or something. It just… it has happened before.”

“It won’t happen with me”, Dinah reassures her, wondering what sort of person would take money for dumping someone, she’s had her times when money has been tight, but she never would have done that, “no matter what he offers. Okay?”

Helena nods, and smiles, then pulls her in for another kiss; and just as they pull apart again, Harley rounds the corner up ahead and shouts “Huntress!”, making them both jump, as neither has seen her approach

“Whatcha doing here”, Harley wants to know, grinning though to show her words aren’t as hostile as they might have taken by someone else, “just here to get some of Dinah or to find out how good we are for the next round?”

“Dinah, obviously”, Helena says, making the singer smile a bit, “there was… something we had to talk about. But I guess you guys got rehearsal now, and so do we, so… I’ll see you later Dinah?”

“Certainly, babe”, Dinah replies, and Helena blushes again at the pet name; she smiles though, and after another brief kiss heads off to her bike while Dinah and Harley walk to their rehearsal room together, Harley sounding unfittingly cheerful when she speaks up, despite how her words make Dinah’s eyes widen.

“So her brother offered you cash to dump her?” she asks, and Dinah gapes at her, “that’s like something out of a weird movie.”

“How do you even know that”, Dinah demands to know, frowning at her, “have you been eavesdropping?”

“Not on purpose!” Harley defends herself, “but I heard you guys talk when I was around the corner and you sounded all serious and worried, so I… stopped. So I wouldn’t interrupt? But I could still hear. Her brother’s an asshole and apparently, so are her parents.”

“And it didn’t occur to you to just, I don’t know, walk a few steps away?” Dinah says with a roll of her eyes, but she can’t find it within herself to be mad at Harley, not with how Harley grumbles about the behaviour of Helena’s family, “just do me the favour and don’t say anything to her, alright?”

“Course not”, Harley reassures her at once, “that’s between you and her, but maybe we should tell the others. Just in case her brother shows up at the contest or at a gig or something.”

“Renee is gonna beat him up with her guitar if he does and she knows what he did”, Dinah points out, then pauses as she considers this, smiling a moment later, Harley grinning as well, her grin widening when the singer continues, “so yeah, let’s tell them. You know. Just in case.”

“Just in case”, Harley echoes, still grinning, and all at once, Dinah almost finds herself hoping they will all run into Helena’s brother together, if only so the four of them can give him a good piece of their minds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pino, beware. XD


	13. Chapter 13

Dinah arrives at the final round of the Battle of the Bands together with Renee, Harley and Ellen, and she knows Helena and her guys are already there; and as it turns out, Helena is in the exact same spot as she has been when Dinah has seen her for the first time, toying with her drumsticks yet again while the guys are bickering about something, clearly nothing important though as Helena is obviously not paying attention. 

Smiling, Dinah walks over to greet her, and when Helena spots her approach this time, she doesn’t drop her sticks, but smiles as well, rising from her seat to greet her, the guys noting her approach as well and grinning and nudging each other, and Dinah is fairly certain she sees Sal and Luca fistbump from the corner of her eye when she kisses the drummer hello.

“Hey”, she says after the kiss, deciding to ignore the antics of the guys, even though all three of them are grinning, “you’re on before us again. Excited? Nervous?”

“Both”, Helena admits, making Dinah smile, “Sal had the brilliant idea to add a fairly new song to the setlist, I’m kinda worried I might mess up.”

“You woooon’t”, Sal says with a roll of his eyes, “seriously! Stop worrying. You’ve kicked ass when we played it during rehearsal. Just! Dinah?”

“Yeah?” Dinah asks, not sure how she plays into Helena possibly messing up, only to feel her cheeks heat up when Sal grins and continues, Helena groaning next to her and hiding her face in embarrassment. 

“Just make sure to not stand anywhere where Helena can see you”, Sal tells her, the other two snickering, “you know she tends to drop her sticks when she spots you.”

“I did not drop them this time”, Helena indignantly points out, and Sal has to admit that this is true, “and yeah, okay, fine, we’ll play that stupid song. But I know you just want to play it so you can impress that guy from the Murder Squad with your awesome vocals.”

“He’s hot”, Sal replies with a shrug, clearly not bothered by being called out like this; Helena rolls her eyes while Dinah smiles, Sal grinning back at her before he points out it has to be destiny, what with how well their band names work together, the Assassins and the Murder Squad, and Helena rolls her eyes again, even though Dinah can tell she’s struggling to not smile as well now.

“Good luck with the guy”, Dinah tells him, making him grin again, “you guys are up soon, no? I promise I’ll stand at a spot where Helena won’t see me.”

“Thank you”, Sal says emphatically while Helena snorts, “and yeah, in about ten minutes. Hey, Helena talk to you about guesting once this contest thing is over?”

“Oh yeah”, Dinah confirms, Helena smiling immediately at the change of topic, “I’m down for it, like I told her, as long as I don’t have to do that growl thing you do.”

“Awesome”, Sal says happily, the other two nodding as well; Dinah smiles at him, then Harley calls out to her and she excuses herself, stealing another quick kiss before she returns to her bandmates, Harley handing her a bottle of water before she asks if Helena is nervous.

“That, and excited”, Dinah tells her, taking a sip of the water before she continues, “and Sal told me to stand somewhere where she can’t see me, so she won’t drop her sticks.”

“Aw”, Harley lets out, Renee snickering to herself, “but we’re gonna watch them play, yes? She might be your girl now, but she’s still hot when she plays.”

“Harley!” Dinah says warningly, Harley batting her eyelashes and shrugging innocently; the singer rolls her eyes, then they all turn towards the stage as the band on at the moment stops playing and the announcer starts talking again, reminding the audience that this is the final round of the Battle of the Bands and that now, it’s time for the second placed band of the previous round.

The audience cheers as they walk onto the stage, Dinah raising her brows when she hears some lady shout for Huntress; Helena either hasn’t heard though or is too focused already to react much, a look of intense concentration on her face as she sits behind the drumkit, Dinah and Harley moving to watch once they all are on stage, Dinah making sure to keep her promise and stand out of Helena’s field of view.

They start out with a different song this time, apparently having decided to play songs they haven’t used during the previous round; Dinah can tell that the first one is one Helena has routine playing, she looks concentrated, but not nervous, only looking a bit uneasy when the [third song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9pEyFek8hY) comes up and Sal announces it as a new one.

Still her playing is secure when the song starts, and Dinah finds herself smiling as she watches her; it’s a less demanding song than the very first one she has seen her play, but it still gives the singer ample chance to admire her skill, even though Harley earns herself a glare from Dinah when she lets out a low whistle at the sight of muscle moving and rippling as Helena plays.

“No worries”, Harley rolls her eyes at the look Dinah shoots her, “I know she’s all yours. But I can look, right?”

“Well yeah”, Dinah has to concede, she doesn’t want to be that sort of clingy girlfriend who throws a fit when someone else looks at her woman; Harley grins in triumph, and Dinah rolls her eyes when she actually licks her lips as Helena plays a somewhat complicated bit, fighting the urge to shove her, she’s not sure Helena can’t see them from the corner of her eye and doesn’t want to distract her.

She’s happy and a bit proud when Helena makes it through the new song just fine, without any obvious mistakes; the last two songs are obviously ones Helena is more familiar with, as she looks much less nervous, and Dinah is a bit regretful that she has to go get ready before the set ends, wishing she could have stayed to reward Helena for her performance with a kiss or two.

They are up next though, and so, Harley and she join the other two, getting ready for their set; like Helena, Dinah is nervous about the song she’s not quite familiar with yet, but she tells herself she can do it, and when she walks on stage a short while later, she can see Helena stand where Harley and she have been before, watching her perform as well.

It doesn’t make her nervous to know that Helena is watching her, and when she at one points turns from the audience to take a sip of water while Renee plays her solo, she catches Helena’s eye and winks; the drummer smiles back at her, and Dinah’s fairly certain she’ll get that kiss she hasn’t been able to claim earlier once their set will end.

She makes it through the new song without problem, to her relief and the happiness of the others; and even though they play five songs this time instead of three, the set ends far too fast, she loves being on stage and time always seems to fly when she gets to sing in front of an audience.

The audience cheers and applauds as they bow, Dinah smiling to herself as they walk off stage; and just as she has hoped, Helena is still there, waiting for her, and wraps her up in her arms immediately and kisses her, and even though the contest is important to all of them, neither Dinah, nor Helena care if they win or not, just happy that they have found each other and that they can spend this time together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you tell I like Trivium? xD


	14. Chapter 14

While the final two bands of the contest play, Helena, Dinah and their bandmates end up all hanging out together at the backstage area, even though they technically are still up against each other; since there is limited room on the sofa they have chosen, Dinah has ended up in Helena’s lap, not that she minds much, even though Helena blushes quite a bit when she gets teased from all sides for this.

“Is that even comfy”, Luca wants to know, earning a glare from Helena by reaching out and poking her thigh, “I mean, with all that double base, her legs must be super muscular.”

“Very comfy”, Dinah reassures him, smirking, “trust me. Probably more so than the couch itself.”

“Guys”, Sal says, and something in his voice gives them all pause; he’s looking at something - or someone, Dinah realizes - behind the sofa, and she turns to look, her own face darkening as well when she spots a very unwelcome face.

“It’s your brother”, she then tells Helena, and the drummer lets out a groan, wondering why he can’t just give up his schemes and leave her alone; and just then, he spots her, and he frowns when he sees Dinah sitting on her, quickly puts on his fake smarmy smile though as he walks over to the group, not caring much when they all glare at him.

“You’re not welcome here”, Sal tells him before he can say something, and he makes a face, then shakes his head, Dinah fighting the urge to smack him at the fake wounded tone he puts on, even going as far as placing his hands over his heart.

“Sal”, he admonishes, the man in question just glaring back at him, “is that a way to speak to your cousin? I just want to say hi to my sister. And her lovely girlfriend.”

“Piss off”, Helena coldly says, and Dinah can feel how tense she is, “don’t you have anything better to do than annoy me here? Or in general?”

“Oh, oh, I can answer that!” Harley happily says, jumping up and clapping her hands, “let me guess, Helena, you were your parents’ clear favourite before the whole shit they pulled, and your lovely brother here knows. He likes to think he’s the favourite now, but he still feels inadequate, so he tries to take it out on you. Let me tell you, Helena’s brother, you’re not doing yourself any favours. And if you bother Dinah or her again, I’ll shove my drumsticks up your ass.”

She smiles at him as he stares at her, clearly taken aback by her words; Massimo clears his throat, then smiles as well, gesturing at Helena’s sticks, making sure her brother gets a good look at them and their state before he speaks up.

“I suggest you use Helena’s”, he evenly says, “they are all splintered after a gig. Might be more… effective.”

“I think you ought to leave now”, Renee suggest, rising from her seat with a decidedly shark-like smile on her face, “cause, you know. I’ve been looking for an excuse to buy a new guitar, and smashing my old one over your head might be a very good reason to do so.”

“Threatening violence”, the younger Bertinelli finally regains some of his composure, “the behaviour of lesser minds, I imagine. You must be so proud about your choice of friends, Helena.”

“I am”, Helena tells him, having to try quite hard to keep a straight face, touched by they all are standing up for her, “and Renee is right. Get lost, now, and leave me alone in the future, or I’ll get a restraining order. I’ve had it with you and your behaviour.”

“I’m a law student”, Ellen helpfully adds when he gapes at Helena at hearing that, “and I got contacts. I’ll help her out with that. So… bye, I guess?”

He gapes again for another moment - and then, he turns and walks off without another word, still looking stunned, Dinah snickering to herself as she watches him go, while Helena finally allows a smile to curl her lips, looking touched now as she looks from one of the others to the next.

“Thanks, guys”, she says, Dinah squeezing her a bit as she can tell that she’s more affected still than she lets show, “I really appreciate that.”

“Shit, I can’t believe we’re related to that twat”, Sal says, shaking his head, “we’re so much more awesome than he ever will be.”

He holds his fist out to Helena, and she snickers a bit as she bumps it with her own; the others smile as well, then Ellen lets Helena know she’s been serious about helping out with a possible restraining order, the drummer grimacing in response before she shrugs.

“Let’s hope he got the hint this time and it won’t be necessary”, she then says, and just as Ellen nods her agreement, the announcer speaks up on stage, and declares it’s time to reveal the contest winner, asking the bands to come join him on stage.

Dinah feels a bit of regret as this means she has to get off Helena’s lap and can’t even stand close to her on stage, but she figures that would be weird, seeing they’re still in opposing bands; they all walk out onto the stage, which makes it a bit crowded, and the announcer takes a bit to talk about how great a contest this has been, unaware of Helena and Dinah exchanging glances behind his back.

“Enough chit-chat now!” he finally says, holding up a folded piece of paper and smiling at the cheers from the crowd, “time to reveal our winners!”

There’s more cheering, and now Dinah feels nervous; a look at Helena tells her the drummer feels the same, their eyes meeting for a second before they both focus on the announcer again.

“On the third place, winning five hundred dollars”, he says, pausing for dramatic effect, “the Murder Squad!”

The band in question cheers, and Sal makes sure to catch their singer’s eye and give him a thumbs up, grinning when the other man blushes; he winks, then they all focus on the announcer again as he clears his throat.

“On the second place, winning a thousand dollars and a guaranteed slot as opening act for three concerts in this venue”, he says, once again pausing, and Helena wants to shove him off stage, “...the Birds of Prey!”

“Fuck yeah!” Harley shouts, raising her fists while the others for a moment just can stare at each other, then Dinah throws her arms around Renee in a hug, Ellen joining in a moment later and pulling Harley into it as well, the audience cheering for them while the announcer gives them a few moments to celebrate before he clears his throat yet again.

“And our winner”, he then says, looking at the bands standing up on stage before back at the audience, “first place, winning two thousand dollars and a full album recording in Gotham Napalm Studios… the Assassins!”

They all let out unarticulated shouts of disbelief, even Helena, while the audience cheers yet again; and as they hug, Dinah moves past the other people on stage, reaching them just as they pull apart again, and pulls Helena in for a congratulatory kiss, smiling into it as the audience cheers even louder at that and she feels Helena’s arms go around her, almost happier for her than she is for her own band, figuring Helena deserves this after all she has been through.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *hums victory fanfare* :D


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Smut up ahead XD

"I still can’t believe we won”, Helena says several hours later as she gets ouf the cab with Dinah at the singer’s place, not quite steady on her feet - there has been a celebration, and drinks, and the decision that she’ll go home with Dinah has been an easy one to make, “I mean, I was hoping we would, but then we actually do? And the shit with my brother, ha, that was amazing, best evening ever.”

“I know how to make it even better”, Dinah smiles at her, trailing one hand down her front and making her swallow heavily as this time, she immediately gets what Dinah is aiming for; the singer winks at her, then pulls her in for a kiss, one which quickly grows heated despite the fact they aren’t even inside the building yet.

“Easy there, Huntress”, Dinah admonishes when she feels a firm hand grab her backside, “let’s go inside first?”

“Inside, yeah, inside is good”, Helena babbles, Dinah laughing to herself as she unlocks the door; then, she grabs Helena’s hand and pulls her into the building, quickly leading the way to her apartment and, once there, straight to the bedroom, not wasting any time as she pushes Helena right onto it, then straddles her and pulls off her shirt, her own following moments later.

For a moment, she debates whether to kiss or to continue the undressing, then decides on the first option, cups Helena’s jaw with both hands and kisses her deeply; Helena wraps both arms around her, and pulls her close, and brings her thigh up  _ that way _ again, making her groan into her mouth, she’s already turned on and this only makes her desire grow.

Still they keep kissing for a while longer, until Helena decides it’s time for the next step and moves her hands up her back to unclasp her bra; her own soon follows, and their pants do a minute later, Dinah smiling down on her seductively as she runs her hands down her sides to her boxers.

“No goofy print tonight”, she then observes, tugging at them, “so I assume you were expecting to get laid?”

“More like hoping to”, Helena admits, making her laugh again; she pulls them off and tosses them aside, then winks and smiles as she moves down, Helena groaning in happy anticipation before Dinah even actually does anything.

“Okay”, she says, prompting the drummer to raise her head so she can look at her, “if you already make that noise when I just get in position? How are you gonna sound when I do this?”

She takes another moment to smile at the taller woman, then lowers her head and runs her tongue along the inside of her thigh, Helena letting her head drop back onto the pillow as she moans; and a moment later, her moaning increases as Dinah uses her tongue on a much more sensitive area, quickly finding the best spot and increasing her efforts at Helena’s very audible reaction.

 _Seems like she’s not so quiet when I do this to her_ , she realizes, smiling a bit to herself as she keeps going; Helena clutches the blanket she’s lying on in response, and once again, it doesn’t take long until she comes, Dinah feeling somewhat smug at how fast she has managed to make this happen yet again. 

“Holy shit”, Helena manages, while Dinah moves to get comfortable next to her, trailing her fingers lazily over her stomach, “wow.”

“Happy to hear you enjoyed yourself”, Dinah smiles, and a moment later, Helena demonstrates her drummer stamina as she recovers quickly, propping herself up on one arm, eyes twinkling as she looks at the singer.

“I did”, she says, one hand moving to tug at Dinah’s underwear, “and I think now it’s time to repay the favour.”

Dinah smiles at once at hearing that, and pulls Helena on top of her to kiss her again, quite certain all at once that neither of them will get any sleep anytime soon that night.

* * *

It is quite a while later when they finally settle down and get ready to sleep, neither of them bothering to put on any clothes again; Dinah pulls the blanket over both of them, then cuddles up to the drummer, smiling when Helena immediately puts both arms around her.

“So, tell me”, she then says, as Helena moves one hand to play with her hair, something she enjoys quite a bit, “did I make the evening even better?”

“Do you really have to ask me that?” Helena wants to know, making her laugh a bit, “of course you did. Best evening ever for sure now.”

“Happy to hear”, Dinah smiles, pressing a gentle kiss to her cheek, “and there’ll be many more amazing ones in our future, let me tell you.”

“Our future”, Helena repeats, making the singer smile again, “I like the sound of that. You know, things are really working out well all at once, we won that contest, and I met you, that’s even better than the win, and we hopefully scared my brother off, too. And I met you!”

“You already said that”, Dinah tells her with a smile, and Helena shrugs, then smiles, the way her gaze softens as she looks at Dinah making the singer’s heart melt.

“Maybe”, she says, “but that is the best part about everything, you know. That I’ve met you. For the longest time I thought I’d never find anyone to make me feel the way you do and then I met you and… and you liked me, too. That’s the best thing to happen, ever.”

“You’re so sweet”, Dinah sighs, and even though it’s dark in the room, she can see Helena blush, “and you’re surprised I like you? I’ve told you, you’re sweet, kind, funny, not exactly unappealing to look at, and those amazing muscles are an extra bonus. And I’ll tell you this a thousand more times if I have to, until you’ll believe me.”

She figures that it’s not easy for Helena to believe these things, Helena is confident and skilled behind her drums, but after what she has revealed about her parents, she figures that accepting herself hasn’t been easy for Helena, and her brother certainly hasn’t helped with his scheming; she wonders for a moment if Harley and her psychoanalyzing skills are rubbing off on her, then shrugs it off, figuring it doesn’t matter how she knows these things, as long as she makes good use of that knowledge.

Helena just pulls her even closer in response, and Dinah takes note of how she swallows heavily, figuring that right in this moment, it’s not easy for her to say anything; eager to reassure that she doesn’t have to, the singer moves to kiss her, slow and gentle this time, a wordless reassurance that she’s meant every word she’s said.

After the kiss, she gets comfortable again, resting her head on Helena’s chest so that she can hear her heartbeat; and the steady _thump thump thump_ is what lulls her to sleep, Helena following suit a few minutes later, both of them sleeping soundly for the rest of the night.


	16. Chapter 16

“This is gonna be awesome”, Sal declares as Helena warms up and Dinah reads through the lyrics for the song they want her to guest on, her parts in red while Sal’s are in blue so they won’t get them mixed up, “we’ll work well together, Dinah, you’ll see.”

“If Helena doesn’t drop her sticks every time she looks at Dinah”, Luca teases, the drummer huffing in response; Dinah smirks, then shrugs, nodding when Sal suggests for the guys to play through the song once, so they’ll get a feel for the melody.

Helena counts them in, and while [the song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oePrtEMmX9Y) is fast, but less demanding for her than others Dinah has seen her play, it’s clear that her being in the rehearsal room with them makes it hard for her to focus; when she messes up for the third time, Luca stops and scolds her, pointing out that the song is not nearly as fast as some others she plays flawlessly.

“I know”, Helena sighs, blushing a bit while Luca rolls his eyes, knowing very well why this keeps happening, “but it’s new! So…”

“It is, but don’t act like that is to blame”, Luca says sternly, Helena’s blush deepening a bit, “do we have to send Dinah out of the room until you got this?”

“Aw!” Dinah lets out while Helena immediately says “no!”; Luca just rolls his eyes, then declares that they will start over, and this time, Helena does better, only making one mistake Dinah notices, and she figures that this can truly be blamed on the fact that the song is new.

“Okay, good”, Luca says once they’ve made it through the song once, “now let’s try with vocals.You guys ready?”

Both Dinah and Sal nod bravely, Dinah feeling a bit nervous now, Helena has told her the vocal lines are pretty much up to her, but she doesn’t want to mess up; thankfully, Sal is the first who actually has to sing, and as she listens to him angrily growl out the lines, she realizes that Helena has been right when she has said the contrast between her voice and his harsh vocals will work very well.

Thankfully, her own part goes well enough when it’s her turn, even though it’s her first try; and the times when she doesn’t have to sing give her ample time to watch Helena play, the drummer studiously keeping her gaze on her drumkit, very well aware of the danger that she might mess up again if she looks up and at Dinah.

She can’t help herself though, but just has to look at the singer when they reach the end of the song and Dinah belts out an impressively high and long note; thankfully, this doesn’t cause any mistakes, but Dinah can tell Helena is impressed, and that the guys are, as well, feeling her cheeks heat up at how they all are looking at her once the song ends.

“Okay, that was really good”, Sal is the one who says it, Helena nodding along, grinning at Dinah happily and proudly, prompting her to smile back at her, “let’s take five and then go through it once more, I really want this one on the album, it’s gonna kick ass.”

“We can never play it live though”, Massimo comments, smirking when they look at him, “I mean, Dinah would be standing in front of Helena then. She’d get sooo distracted.”

“Oh my God, are you implying I would stare at her ass”, Helena says indignantly, and Dinah laughs at her tone; Massimo snickers and points out that he’s fairly certain she has done just that when she’s messed up earlier, and Helena huffs again, but Dinah can easily tell she’s not quite as offended as she’s pretending to be.

“Aw, poor baby”, she still says, moving to where Helena is sitting behind her drums and placing herself on her lap, the drummer smiling at once, “getting teased like that. Here, I’ll make it better.”

She leans in and kisses her, both of them easily ignoring the “awww” sounds the guys let out; and once she pulls back, Helena is grinning like a fool, making Dinah smile again as well, eyes glinting when she leans forward to mumble into her ear.

“You play through it now with no mistakes”, she tells the drummer, keeping her voice low now so the guys won’t hear what she is saying, “and I promise I’ll reward you later when we get home.”

Helena swallows noticeably, but nods in determination; and when they start the song over, she does play through it flawlessly, Dinah quite impressed by how well this little motivation has worked.

They go through the song a few more times, until they all get through it flawlessly; and after that, they move on to some of their other pieces, and Dinah goes to sit and watch, smiling as she watches Helena play.

She knows that they are good, and she’s fairly certain they’ll get much bigger once they finish recording the album and release it; and as she watches Helena play, she’s happy for her, and happy that they have found each other, certain that many good things are waiting for both of them in the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And another one done XD thank you all for reading, kudos and commenting - hope you enjoyed and that I will see you at the next one :D

**Author's Note:**

> Deep breath Helena, it's gonna be okay ;)


End file.
